We left Sookie in a pretty sad place at the end of Dead and Gone, and I think all your readers are hoping that she will pull through her awful experiences and come back as the same spunky telepath we all love. Does she get any time to recuperate in Dead in the Family? What's in store for Sookie in this book?

Sookie goes through her physical recuperation at the beginning of the book, and I think she's recovering mentally through the book. But of course, life and death keep happening around her. Bless her heart.

To whose family, or families, does the title of Dead in the Family refer? Any surprises?

I certainly hope there are a lot of surprises. There are several families included in the story; Bill's family, Eric's family, Sookie's family. I think some of the family members will startle the readers.

Amelia, Sookie's roommate, who thinks more of her powers as a witch than perhaps she should, has a lot of fans. Can you tell us anything about her future?

Amelia, as the beginning of the book makes clear, is returning to New Orleans to try to restart her life there. She's left too many loose ends to stay in Bon Temps. She'll recur in Sookie's life.

True Blood fans, you have Charlaine Harris to thank for the highly addictive series; it’s based on her wildly popular Sookie Stackhouse novels. The latest edition, Dead in the Family, is out May 4. We gave the Southern native a quick quiz on some of her favorite books — including the one she wishes she could read again and again.

What’s a book you’ve faked reading?Moby Dick. I gave it a tremendous try, but I don’t think I ever finished. Oh, The Magic Mountain, too.

What was your favorite book as a child?Jane Eyre.

What’s a book you’ve gone back to and read over and over?Pride and Prejudice.

Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) is missing, last seen in the clutches of a gloved abductor with a bad strip of silver. Although the kidnapper's identity has yet to be revealed to viewers of the "True Blood" television series, fans of Charlaine Harris' "Sookie Stackhouse" novels are already looking at one suspect in particular — none other than Bill's very own maker, Lorena.

But don't expect to hear any confirmation from Mariana Klaveno, the talented actress who plays Lorena on the hit HBO series. All she'll say is that the naughty Lorena is indeed returning for the third season of "True Blood," set to premiere in June.

Hollywood Crush spoke with Mariana and learned a great deal about her character's future. Read all of the gory details after the jump!

While Mariana wouldn't say whether or not Lorena is involved in the kidnapping of Vampire Bill, she did confess that she'll have plenty of screen time with Stephen Moyer this season.

"Yes, we do spend a good deal of time together in season three," she told us. "I'm hoping that the fans will be a little bit surprised by it, because there will be some new dynamics in our relationship that are new and [have to deal] with that cliffhanger."

But that doesn't necessarily mean she'll be responsible for Bill's abduction, as Mariana informed us: "I think you'll see some sides of Lorena that will surprise you. She'll be in certain situations where you think she'll do something, and she will not [do what you expect]."

Fans invested in “True Blood” protagonist Sookie Stackhouse’s love life have been eagerly awaiting the new title since 2009’s “Dead and Gone” ended on a romantic cliffhanger. Niall, Sookie’s fairy great-grandfather, told the telepathic barmaid that “the vampire is not a bad man, and he loves you.” But then gramps left the human world forever, before clarifying if he meant the blonde Eric Northman or the brunette Bill Compton. (One thing we know–Sookie will begin book 10 “officially” involved with hunky Nordic vamp Eric. In fact, the two have exchanged blood so often — usually to save the other’s life — they’re considered married by vampire law.)

Special InstructionsDue to the author's time constraints, Ms. Harris will not be able to personalize books at this event, and there will be a strict limit of two books per person for the signing, one of which must be the new title, Dead in the Family.

It's time to look at the new recipes from the new book!What a great story behind this recipes of the original Crawdad Diner owners, Perdita and Crawdad Jones being handed down to Ralph Tooten when he bought the restaurant and then again when he sold it to Pinkie Arnett.

What's a nice gal from the Mississippi Delta doing with a passel of vampires, werewolves and assorted other supernatural critters? Just writing about life ---- with the unique Southern vampire spin of her No. 1 New York Times best-selling Sookie Stackhouse series.

Charlaine Harris had written mysteries for 20 years before delving into Sookie's world ---- two stand-alones and the Aurora Teahouse, Lily Bard and Harper Connelly series.

"My career really wasn't going where I wanted it to go," Harris said in a recent telephone interview from Arkansas, which she now calls home. "I wanted to do something different ---- I just wanted to branch out. I wanted to include a little sexuality, my sense of humor. I want to include a little blood. But I wanted it to be anchored in day-to-day reality."

Since their "existence," vampires have always been a cultural phenomenon, with popularity

waxing and waning throughout the years. From Bram Stoker's classic Dracula, to Anne Rice's Interview With A Vampire, humans have always held a fascination for the blood-sucking, night-stalking seducers. But as the times have changed — so too, have the vampires.

For the mainstream populace, Alan Ball brought the characters of True Blood to the small screen in HBO's immensely popular series. But it was author Charlaine Harris who conjured them into existence and gave these modern vampires life, er, afterlife.

Anna Paquin as Sookie StackhouseThe world of HBO's True Blood begins and ends in the sleepy, backwater Louisiana town of Bon Temps, where barmaid Sookie Stackhouse holds a not-so-hidden secret: she's a telepath. This also makes her the town weirdo and no other series of novels has so deftly made a gift like telepathy also into a curse. Truly for Sookie, it is a bittersweet blessing.

The funny, sexy and often exhilarating Sookie Stackhouse tales are told through Sookie herself. Mrs. Harris, herself a Southern gal, allows the the reader a sometimes uncomfortable, voyeuristic view of the inner machinations of the novels' protagonist. We feel what she feels, we see what she sees, we know what she knows. This includes her vanity, insecurities, her moral ambiguity and her developing sexual appetite. Considering the novel's begin with Sookie as a virgin, this is a lot of absorb — but also very titillating.